Remembering Upland’s Taco Jiffy

Reader Bob Butcher left a comment on our ever-popular Things That Aren’t Here Anymore thread recently — part of our Reminiscin’ category — which prompted a response from his old friend and former Taco Jiffy employee Sally (Switzer) Lasby.

Taco Jiffy? Turns out that’s the forerunner of today’s Taco King, the place on Foothill in Upland with the charming sign with a cactus and the motto “Home of the Bean Special.”

I reconnected the two of them and Bob us sent the following e-mail. I’m presenting a portion of it here, lightly edited, because it may bring back memories for some of you. For the rest of us, it’s an entertaining read. Take it away, Bob:

“Do I remember Taco Jiffy? I spent five years of my life there pumping out Mexican delicacies to the public.

“I fondly remember some of the ‘special customers,’ like the group that came weekly from Otis Elevator in RC (not here anymore). The Hells Angels roared in weekly. They had just recently formed and were headquartered in an old stone house in north Rancho Cucamonga.

“And then there were the ‘frantic’ 10 Cent Taco Monday Nights! A prominent coupon in the Daily Report TV section produced really long lines of hungry bodies. Then there were the frequent visits of Vince Vella, better known as “Little Oscar” (the world’s smallest chef) and the famed Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile. They parked it in front of the place and Vince gave the kids OM whistles and then came inside where my Mom would fix him a vegetable tostada.

“Across the street from Taco Jiffy was Weitzel’s Yum Yum Burgers and Frostees (not here anymore), home of the fantastic Atomic Burger — gigantic and delicious. And east of that, the original Noble Inn (not here anymore). All of this was just east of Bill’s Ranch Market (not here anymore), the Chevron gas station (not here anymore) — and across Foothill Blvd was/is Upland Memorial Park.

“Do I remember Taco Jiffy? You better believe I do!!!”

Wasn’t that fun? Thanks, Bob.

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Eader’s Bakery, Ontario

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In today’s column, Ontario Councilman Jim Bowman mentions having worked as a dishwasher at Eader’s Bakery while at Chaffey High in the 1960s. Kelly Zackmann of the Ontario Library’s history room turned up this image from the 1967 Ontario phone directory. Eader’s was near Wag’s, later Molly’s, a soda fountain and diner.

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Remembering Pioneer Chicken

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The original Pioneer Chicken location in Echo Park closed recently after four or five decades in business, according to the Eastsider LA blog (via LA Observed). The fried chicken stand took its name from the Pioneer Market that originally stood next door.

There are said to be a few lingering Pioneer Chicken restaurants, including one in Silver Lake, but most were sold off to Popeyes in the 1980s after the chain slipped into bankruptcy, Eastsider says.

The above-pictured Popeyes on the corner of East Holt and San Antonio avenues in Pomona is a former Pioneer Chicken. Dig the floor to ceiling glass — very mod. (Photo shot from my car window Thursday after lunch at a better chicken stand, Donahoo’s.)

These images may bring back memories: a photo of a Pioneer stand and the chuckwagon logo.

Anyone want to share memories of Pioneer?

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Remembering Stinkey’s Cafe

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Photo from the 1958 CMC yearbook, The Ayer

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We’ve talked about Stinkey’s here before, a still fondly remembered burger joint on the northwest corner of Foothill and Mountain back in the day. You can read those comments here.

Kelly Zackmann of the Ontario Library reports that, according to city directories, Stinky’s first appeared in 1948, at 1214 W. Foothill Blvd. The later directories spelled it Stinkey’s. There are no listings beyond 1968. It was owned by Jack A. Kermott.

Here’s a fresh comment from Larry Hernandez, who e-mailed in response to my column on RoVal’s to reminisce about Stinky’s/Stinkey’s:

“I loved the story on long-gone eating places that readers remember very fondly. This brings to my mind very vague, almost lost memories of a diner called Stinky’s that used to be on Foothill Boulevard in Upland, west of Euclid.

“I cannot remember very much about the place but I can vividly recall how tasty and wonderfully smelly the hamburgers were when they came right off the grill. Being 51 years of age, I was a mere boy, perhaps 5 or 6, when my dad or mom stopped by to pick up a quick takeout dinner. I think we ate in the parking lot. My dad and mom never ate inside, perhaps a holdover from earlier times when Mexican-Americans hesitated to overstay their welcome in many local establishments, like the Ford Diner that used to sit on the southeast corner of Holt and Euclid.

“The place must have shut down shortly thereafter, because I cannot recall it being there when I passed by the spot in the late ’60s and beyond.

“What I recall is a smallish diner, set back from the road, with lots of empty fields around it, and huge old eucalyptus tree windbreaks still in the vicinity, probably bordered with piles of ‘Upland potatoes.’ The parking lot may have been unpaved. I think it was on the northwest corner of Mountain and Foothill.

“What I cannot forget is the feel and taste of toasted buns off of the grill and the pungent odor and taste of the onions the cook placed over the beef patty. Stinky’s hamburgers set the standard by which all other burgers are still judged in my mind. I don’t know what the cook did with those onions, but I have never encountered the same again.

“Could you give a shout-out to other readers about their memories of Stinky’s? Perhaps the secrets are hidden away in the papers of some family that had a connection to the owner or the cooks.”

Wasn’t that nice? I’ve alerted Larry that he really ought to visit this blog. But if anyone has anything to add about Stinkey’s, feel free to post a comment below.

Update: Here are two photos from the 1960s contributed by Rick Lee. Thanks, Rick. Love the scarred table. He says of the second photo: “The older person…I think was the owner.” Stinkey himself!

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Remembering Valenti’s and O’Reilly’s

Chaffey High alumnus Dave Linck reminded me of a couple of oldtime Ontario restaurants: one that may be the original Inland Valley pizza parlor, or darn close to it, and a beloved burger emporium with a buffet line of condiments.

Take it away, Mr. Linck:

“Here are a couple old Ontario places to jog the bloggers:

“Valenti’s Fine Foods on South Euclid: One of the few places in the early ’60s to serve pizza. I had my very first pie there, served by owner Phil Valenti, whose brother, Frank, ran the Texaco station on Holt near Vine. Both places are long gone. The pizza was amazing, with so much mozzerella (and fresh oregano) it ruined me for all others to come.

“Another long-gone fave was O’Reilly’s Buffet Burger on Holt near Mountain, which is now housing The Paint Bucket. O’Reilly’s was beloved among we kids because they sent you a coupon for a free ‘Buffet Burger’ on your birthday. O’Reilly’s served burgers, broasted chicken and dip sandwiches.

“There was a ‘buffet bar’ where you could dress your burger as you liked, as well as a twin ‘sundae bar’ where you could do so with ice cream sundaes. It was always crowded and I am sure lots of people will respond with their own memories of this long-gone icon of burger cool.”

I’m sure they will too. Readers?

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Remembering RoVal’s

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RoVal’s was a steakhouse in what’s now Rancho Cucamonga from the ’50s through the ’70s. The co-proprietor, RoVal Jones, died Jan. 23 at age 89, according to an obituary in the Bulletin today. She and her late husband, Jack, ran RoVal’s.

RoVal’s opened in 1955 at 8689 9th St. in Cucamonga and remained there until about 1960. (The address went on to become Red Griffin Inn, Case de Mayo and then, in ’68, Cask ‘n Cleaver.)

Meanwhile, a new location opened in 1959 at 11871 Foothill Blvd., on the southwest corner of Rochester, across from the old stone house and winery.

RoVal’s was known for its smoker and the chargrilled steaks it turned out. The ad accompanying this post is from the 1980 Yellow Pages, perhaps the last year the restaurant was in business, although it was after the Joneses sold it. From there it became — oh, the ignominy — the Cowgirl Topless Theater. (The latter lasted until 1992 and was demolished sometime later. A Denny’s now marks the approximate spot.)

Thanks to Kelly Zackmann of the Ontario Library’s Model Colony History Room for much of the above, including the cool ad. The rendering up top came from the Jones family and depicts the first location.

I’m going to try writing a few lines for Friday’s column, or maybe Sunday’s. In the meantime, anyone remember the place?

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Remembering the Noble Inn

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Remember the Noble Inn in Upland? Joe Mannella does, and for good reason:

“I happened to come upon your blog looking for more information about my dad’s restaurant, The Noble Inn, 1171 E. Foothill Blvd. in Upland. Those were the good old days. He was a baker and it opened in 1951 as a bakery. Bringing in partners they opened The Noble Inn in 1953 using freshly baked bread. A huge sign on the top of the building read ‘Eat the Noblest Sandwich of All.’

“Dad sold the Noble in 1964 to a cheese company. Years later they tore down the old building and built a new restaurant with the cheese warehouse factory in the rear. Everything was torn down a few years back and I believe a hotel now exists there.”

Over the years oldtimers have mentioned the Noble Inn to me fondly. Anyone else recall it? I love the rooftop sign.

* Joe Mannella also contributed the postcard image, which I added in August 2012.

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Remembering Socorro’s

I haven’t done one of these “remember when” posts in a while, but with the opening this week of Don Marcos Mexican restaurant at 10276 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga, this seems like a good time to recall the long-lived restaurant in this building: Socorro’s.

Socorro’s was established in 1969 at 9671 Foothill (at Archibald) and moved in 1981 a bit east to 10276, near Haven. It was a popular sit-down Mexican restaurant run by a woman whose first name (I believe) was Socorro. She closed the business in 2001, I think to retire.

The above dates are courtesy of the Ontario Library’s Model Colony History Room, where Kelly Zackmann looked through phone books and Criss-Cross Directories for me. The only caveat is because of a ’67-’83 gap, she couldn’t say for sure if anything was in 10276 prior to Socorro’s. Our guess is no, but we can’t say for sure.

Sad to say, I never ate there, only visiting a year or two ago to try the Whole Enchilada, which took Socorro’s place. Don Marcos, we can only hope, will be an improvement. Interesting that all three restaurants in this building have had Mexican cuisine. It’s obviously what the building is associated with in people’s minds.

Anyone want to reminisce about Socorro’s — the original location, the later location, the food, the ambience, the owner? To last 32 years, they must have been doing something right.

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Noble House

Several of you have lamented the passing of Noble House, a longtime Chinese restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga at Haven and Base Line. This came up when a couple of readers left comments on my post about Pei Wei’s closing. Since then, I got an e-mail asking what happened to them, and heard about it in person from another reader.

The way he heard it, the rent was going to double and the family-run eatery had to pack it in.

Whether that’s true or not, I’m sorry to hear Noble House is gone. A source several years ago had recommended them in the same breath as China Gate in Upland, and I’d say both were operating at about the same level. I ate there only a couple of times but I liked the place.

Las Campanas in Rancho Cucamonga also closed recently. It was an ambitious concept, upscale Mexican, but one that seems to have misjudged the market. Or maybe the food just wasn’t so hot. I ate there on a preview night, not the best time to judge, and wasn’t wowed enough to go back, even though the surroundings were awfully nice.

This didn’t trouble me, but I noticed Monday that Togo’s in Upland has a “for lease” sign. I ate there once a few weeks ago with two colleagues who, for inexplicable reasons, really liked it. Besides making very average sandwiches, it seemed like a dark, dank hole to me. Well, every place is somebody’s favorite.

Anyone have any Noble House stories, or have a favorite eatery close recently?

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Michael J’s, RIP

The Ontario location, 201 N. Vineyard Ave., closed recently, depriving Best Western guests of the chance to walk to pancakes or a cocktail, or both. I got the news from reader Bruce Henning, who said Michael J’s had been there for years.

A sign on the door blames a decrease in business.

I ate there once, in 1999, for breakfast with my colleague Monica Rodriguez to commiserate on her recent, and my impending, 35th birthday. The food was serviceable but uninspiring.

There was a second Michael J’s at 2315 Foothill Blvd. in La Verne. I tried the phone number and it’s been disconnected. Uh-oh.

If memory serves, there was a Michael J’s on Foothill in Rancho Cucamonga that several years ago became something else, I think a BC Cafe.

Sounds like the Michael J’s mini-empire may be toast. Anyone know any history of the place?

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